Part of the War
by Darkhawk764
Summary: Rewritten, titled 'A Part of the War'
1. Chapter 1

Alek Hapsburg sat in a carriage as it made its way towards London Zoo. The cart bumped over cobblestones, the cart of four being hauled along by pair of tigeresques. He could hear the sound of elephantines walking, their heavy feet trampling the roads. He looked out the window, watching the buildings of the huge city roll by. He was nervous about being here, in a country that was entirely Darwinist. At least Istanbul, Japan, and America had been part-Clanker.

Dr. Nora Barlow, the boffin, sat across from him, deep in conversation with Volger about some political matter or the other. Her perspicacious loris sat on the floor between them, having its' own conversation with Bovril, repeating snatches that they had heard or learned, both lorises trying to become more perspicacious, something that had proved very useful to Alek over the past few months.

On the seat next to him sat Deryn Sharp, known to most as Dylan Sharp. Only a select few people knew her name, or even knew that she was a _girl_. She had hid it well, during her time aboard the _Leviathan_, a gigantic British airship. 'Dylan' had been a middy aboard the vessel, pretending to be a boy so that she could be fly, like her father and her brother. She hadn't even willingly told Alek; he had worked it out himself when he read a news article about her saving the _Dauntless _in Istanbul, connecting dots that only someone who knew her personally could have.

Deryn could see Alek's discomfort, and she patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay," she said. "You'll love London once you get used to it."

Alek only nodded, swallowing hard. It certainly wasn't anything like Austria, a Clanker country. He never had a reason to return, though; Alek had given up his claim on the Austrian crown so that he could be with Deryn.

Bovril climbed up the bench, climbing into Alek's lap and looking at him expectantly. Alek scratched the loris behind the ear while the other watched. When he stopped, Bovril turned to look at Deryn.

"_Mr._ Sharp," said Bovril, in the same sarcastic tone that Volger had used aboard the _Leviathan_. Deryn reached over and scratched his ear.

"I think Bovril is getting closer to you by the day, Mr. Sharp," said Dr. Barlow, looking over at the loris. "Maybe you should have called him Prince instead, Your Majesty."

Alek gave the lady boffin a dirty look, but still said nothing. He could tell that Deryn had given Dr. Barlow the same look. A knock sounded on the front of the metal carriage.

"We'll be there in a couple of minutes, Doctor, Your Majesty," said the driver.

The carriage fell quiet, save for the sounds of the wheels turning over cobblestones and the lorises talking back and forth. Alek's thoughts wandered to New York, that deal with Nikola Tesla and the Goliath, his gigantic Tesla cannon that could strike just about anywhere in the world. He could remember how he felt when Tesla decided to use the Goliath to strike Berlin. Alek remembered the terror he felt when he realized that the _Leviathan_ would be struck, that fear being multiplied by the fact that Deryn was aboard.

"Where will we be staying, Doctor?" Deryn asked, breaking the silence. It was something that Alek had thought over multiple times.

"Wherever you want, Mr. Sharp," said Dr. Barlow. "May I suggest searching for an apartment somewhere in the city?"

"_Mr. _Sharp," said Bovril, chuckling.

"What does a member of the Zoological Society of London _do_, exactly?" asked Alek. It was something he hadn't worked out since the lady boffin offered him the job in the first place.

"Why, you are my assistants, Your Majesty," explained Dr. Barlow, looking out the window. "You'll assist me in my work here in London, and join me when I am abroad."

"Well that doesn't barking help us any, does it?" said Deryn. "How can we assist you if we don't have the slightest idea _what_ we're doing in the first place?"

The lady boffin got a funny look in her eye. "We shall see, Mr. Sharp. We shall see."

More time passed; more than Alek had expected and, from the way she looked, way more than Dr. Barlow expected. She had just turned her head to question the driver about it when a loud bang sounded, and the tigeresques roared in pain. More noises sounded.

"Ambush," said Bovril.

But Alek had already figured that out. Shells were pinging off the metal shell of the carriage. Volger clawed for the air pistol hanging from his belt. He pushed the door opposite the gunfire open, climbing out. To Alek's surprise, the lady boffin pulled a gun of her own from her purse, climbing out behind him. Both Alek and Deryn were unarmed even as the Count and the lady boffin started returning fire. A bullet pushed through the open-hole window, going through both and slamming into the brick wall beside them.

"Get down!" ordered Alek, pushing Deryn down onto the floor, covering her with his body so she was protected.

His heart raced as gunshots echoed all around, bullets forcing their way through the carriage. The lorises ducked beneath the seats, trying to protect themselves from the lethal onslaught of lead. Seconds stretched into hours; the cloud of bullets seemed to never end.

And suddenly, there was naught but the sound of feet stepping on cobblestones. Alek looked up, hoping it was either Volger or Dr. Barlow. A hooded figure looked in the window, aiming a pistol inside. There was a sound, quiet as a whisper, and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Alek woke up slowly, his eyes staring up into a bright white light. He felt different, somehow. His clothes felt softer, and he was laying on a soft bed, instead of in a metal carriage floor. It was quieter, save for the sound of paws. Had he died? Was he in Heaven now? A dark spot hung over his vision, that he couldn't clear by blinking his eyes.

"Am I...dead?" he asked softly.

"No, you _dummkopf_!" said a very familiar voice, and he felt arms around his neck, hugging him. He grunted, a shot of pain going through his back, around his shoulder blade.

"Then where in the blazes am I?" he asked, still confused as to who was hugging him. "Am I still on the _Leviathan_?"

The figure shook it's head. "Barking spiders, you are a _dummkopf_ this morning."

The voice, it was very familiar. It sounded like one he should know. There was a nagging voice in his mind, also calling him a _dummkopf_, trying to tell her who he is.

"What happened to Deryn? Or Volger? What about Dr. Barlow?"

"Your Highness," said a voice that came from on the bed with him, followed by a chuckle. He looked down, and immediately recognized Bovril, curled up next to his leg. And then he realized who the other person was.

"_Deryn_?" he asked, surprised at his memory failure. "What happened?"

She smiled widely and hugged him again. "You took a bullet that would've hit me otherwise! You're barking mad, but you're a hero!"

Alek's memory swirled. He couldn't remember anything since he boarded the carriage. "Who were they?"

"The boffins from the Zoological Society are trying to work that out. Volger suspects the Germans, in a plot to kill you," explained Deryn.

"They have no reason to want me dead. I renounced my throne, remember?" said Alek. "I even threw the Pope's letter into the Atlantic Ocean." A nagging suspicion ate away at him.

"Maybe Dr. Barlow? Because she's a Darwin?" Deryn suggested, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Boffin?" said Bovril, his head resting on Alek's knee. Deryn reached over to scratch behind his ear.

"I'm not sure," said Alek. "I'll have to talk to Volger about it."

"You will have a wait, then. Volger was furious about the attempt on your life, and went straight to the highest power he could think of," replied Deryn.

"The lady boffin?"

Deryn laughed. "That gunshot wound turned you into a real clever-boots, didn't it? No, he went to the Admiralty."

"No offense, but I don't think that Churchill is going to be able to do much to help us out here," said Alek.

"You never know," Deryn said.

The room got quiet. Alek could already feel tiredness creeping up on him. He leaned his head back against the pillow, and closed his eyes. He felt a touch of warmth on his head, and suddenly a slight pressure was lifted off the bed. A couple minutes later, the soft feeling of Bovril's furry chin on his knee was gone, and so was he. Out like a light.


	3. Chapter 3 Preview

Deryn lay on one of the chairs in the dark hospital room, curled up beneath a blanket. Try as she might, sleep just wouldn't come to her. She had gotten word during the day that the _Minotaur_, her brother Jaspert's ship, had been attacked by aeroplanes and zeppelins over Germany, and wrecked. There was no word of the likely captured or dead crew members. It had been all she could do to hold back tears when the lady boffin brought the news from the Admiralty.

Alek had done everything he could to comfort her, but she had pushed him away, even to the point of yelling at him. Her eyes started to sting as she remembered the hurt in his eyes when she practically screamed that he had no idea what she was feeling.

_I'm such a ninny_, she thought, pulling the blanket higher over her shoulder. Deryn could feel Bovril shift it's position from lower in the chair


	4. Author's Note

I am currently working on re-writing this, and expanding it beyond what it is. When I originally wrote it, I had a plotline in mind. Hopefully I can get my priorities in line and get this thing re-written.


	5. Story is Partially Rewritten

Dear all of my wonderful readers,

I am actively working on rewriting _Part of the War_, it isn't forgotten! If you would like to read it, you can message me and I will give you a link, or you can find it under _A Part of the War_. The plot has been reworked slightly, to make more sense. I hope everyone will check it out and tell me what you think of it! Thanks!

Hawk


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